John III Sobieski at Vienna
where from and why did Ottoman Turks come to Europe;
what is the history of Polish and Turkish relations in the 17th century;
who was John III Sobieski and what are his merits for Poland;
what is the history of the victory of Polish army – battle of Vienna of 1683.
Since the 14th century the Ottoman Empire (the name comes from Osman – tribe leader from the medieval times) had been creating with conquests a great empire encompassing wide territories of Asia Minor, Middle East, North Africa and Europe. In Europe almost the whole Balkan Peninsula was under the sultansultan (Turkish ruler). The Turks threatened Poland and the Habsburg monarchy (Austria). Transylvania, Wallachia and Moldova (duchies which are parts of present‑day Romania and Moldova) were a bone of contention. In 1683 Vienna, the capital of Austria, was besieged by the Turkish army. Polish king John III Sobieski concluded an alliance with the emperor Leopold I. United Polish and German armies under the command of the Polish monarch came to the relief of Austrian capital. On 12th September 1683 there was a great battle of Vienna where John III magnificently defeated Turks. Polish mercenaries (HussarsHussars) and artillery had the key role there. The Turkish army was crashed. Vienna was saved.
Look at the map and then do the exercise.
Point out continents which the Ottoman Empire encompassed.
- Asia, Africa and Europe
- Asia and Africa
- Asia and Europe
- Africa and Europe
Look and the picture and then do the exercise.
Point out what the painter wanted to expose.
- desperate defence of the banner of Poland
- heroism of Poles
- Turks’ escape from the battlefield
- greater number of Turks
Jan Matejko’s painting painted between 1882 and 1883 for the 200th anniversary of the battle of Vienna. The painter decided to present the painting in Vienna because of the fact that the participation of the Polish army and its commander – king John III Sobieski was diminished. Then, in December 1883 Matejko and the Polish delegation went to Rome and handed the painting to Pope Leon XIII as a gift from the Polish nation. Until today you can admire the painting in Vatican Museums.
Look at the painting.
Have a look at the picture and say how the Polish king was welcomed in Vienna.
These are excerpts of a letter written by John III Sobieski to his wife Queen Marie Casimire just after the victory. Read the text and then do the exercise.
Letter to Queen Maria Kazimiera d’ArquienIn vizier’svizier’s tents, 13th September 1683. The only consolation of soul and heart, the most beautiful and beloved Marysienka! God and the Lord blessed forever gave the victory and fame as big as nobody had never heard of our nation. We took over all cannons, the whole camp and priceless abundance. The enemy is escaping in confusion [ashamed]. We took over camels, mules, cattle, sheep. The enemy left gunpowder worth more than a million zlotych. The vizier escaped so quickly that he took only one cloth and one horse. I took over all his belongings, including the tent as big as Warsaw or Lviv. I have all his marks, the flag given to him by the Turkish emperor and a horse with an expensive saddle. There are numerous gold sabres and other soldier equipment in the field left by the army who had escaped. I can count that there are one hundred thousand tents left by the Turks on the field. And what facilities the vizier had by his tent – indescribable! There were a bathhouse, a garden, fountains, rabbits, cats and even a parrot and an ostrich. We took it all over.
Source: [w:] Jan III Sobieski, Letter to Queen Maria Kazimiera d’Arquien, oprac. Leszek Kukulski, Warszawa 1962.
Mark true sentences.
- Turkish vizier lived very modestly.
- The king wrote the letter in conquered tent of the vizier.
- While escaping Turks left much armour on the battlefield.
- John III Sobieski claimed that the victory in the battle of Vienna had been the greatest success in Polish history.
- Turks managed to take their artillery out of the camp.
- The vizier’s tent was not big.
Complete the gaps with appropriate terms.
Holy League, Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki, John III Sobieski, Podolia, extortion money, Vienna, Chocim, rebellion, Austria, king
After the victories of Royal Hetman John III Sobieski over the Ottoman Empire in the battles of .......................................................... (1673) and Żurawno (1676) an armistice was signed. It helped avoid .......................................................... which had been paid by Poland since 1672 and regain part of lost territories. It coincided with the death of king .......................................................... (1673), who in Sobieski’s demands of increasing expenditures for army saw a possible .......................................................... not the necessity of defending state borders. After the victorious battles the high-spirited nobility chose Hetman .........................................................., who as the conqueror of Turks was supposed to guarantee stability and power of the state, for the king. However, peace did not last long. After concluding the alliance with .......................................................... in 1683 the armistice was breached and a new Polish-Turkish war started. Its crucial event was the defence of imperial capital of .......................................................... conducted by the Polish .......................................................... on 12th September 1683. A great victory of John III Sobieski and following creation of Christian states coalition, so called .........................................................., let push away the Porte from Central Europe and regain among others Hungary and Transylvania for the benefit of Austria as well as .......................................................... and Ukrainian territories for the benefit of Poland. Since that time the Ottoman Empire had not been a threat to Europe and wars with it were only a problem of its border states – mainly Russia and Austria.
Keywords
John III Sobieski, the Vienna expedition, the Turks, the Ottoman Empire
Glossary
Sułtan – tytuł władcy używany w krajach muzułmańskich, np. osmańskiej Turcji.
Wezyr – najważniejszy urzędnik na dworze sułtana, jego namiestnik. Stał na czele kancelarii państwa.
Janczarzy – elitarne oddziały tureckiej piechoty doskonale uzbrojone, stanowiące podstawę armii osmańskiej Turcji. Pochodzili najczęściej z poboru chrześcijańskich chłopców, którzy szkoleni i indoktrynowani stawali się fanatycznie oddanymi sułtanowi żołnierzami.
Jasyr – niewola turecka lub tatarska.
Porta – historyczne określenie dworu lub rządu sułtanów w państwie tureckim. Potocznie odnosi się również do państwa tureckiego jako całości, szczególnie w stosunkach dyplomatycznych.
Tatarzy – ludność zamieszkująca północno‑wschodnie wybrzeże Morza Czarnego. Byli podwładnymi sułtana tureckiego i w razie wojny służyli w jego armii, jako świetni jeźdźcy. W czasie pokoju zajmowali się głównie hodowlą zwierząt i rolnictwem.
Kozacy – wieloetniczna, chrześcijańska grupa ludności zamieszkująca tereny na pograniczu Rzeczypospolitej i Rosji. W jej skład wchodzili zarówno uciekający od pańszczyzny chłopi, ludzie fałszywie oskarżeni, przestępcy i inni uciekinierzy. Trudnili się handlem, rybołówstwem, hodowlą zwierząt i wojaczką. Często podejmowali wyprawy łupieskie na tereny Imperium Osmańskiego.
Husaria – polska jazda w początkowym okresie lekka, z czasem przekształcona w ciężką, zaliczana do najskuteczniejszych formacji wojskowych w dziejach kawalerii. Charakterystyczną cechą były długie, nawet 5 m, kopie oraz przymocowane do pleców zbroi paradnej skrzydła, które najprawdopodobniej nie były używane w czasie walki.